Pressure-sensitive adhesive tape



Patented Mar. 23, 1948 PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE TAPE Hubert J. Tierney, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn a corporation of Delaware No Drawing.

No. 437,831, April Continuation of application Serial 6, 1942. This application De.

cember 5, 1946, Serial No. 714,151

This application is a continuation of copendin application Ser. No. 437,831, filed April 6, 1942, now abandoned, (which was filed as a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 177,094, filed November 29, 1937) This invention relates to an improved pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet, conveniently in the form of an adhesive tape, having a flexible unified backing provided with a coating of normally tacky and pressure-sensitive adhesive.

' The backing is impregnated with a non-tacky polyacrylate elastomer (a polymerized ester of acrylic acid), which is the distinguishing feature of the present type of tape backing from the standpoint of composition.

This material is a linear eupolymer (superpolymer) having a chain structure composed of many units, each unit of which may be represented by the following structural formula:

where R represents an alkyl group, such as methyl (-0111) or ethyl (-CzHs), or such other group as permits of polymerization to non-tacky elastomerform.

The desired eupolymer is formed by polymerization of the acrylic acid ester and polymerization is readily carried to the point where the polymer chain length results in a rubbery mass, which is quite different from resins which are soft and plastic and from resins which are horny or hard and brittle or relatively inflexible. These non-tacky rubbery acrylate polymers, with which this invention is concerned, fall within the generic class of elastomers (see Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. vol. 31, pages 941-945), since they are per se tough, flexible, resilient, stretchable masses. Thus a methyl acrylate elastomer superficially somewhat resembles white latex rubber, although it is water white and more transparent.

However, this material is not a mere substi tute or equivalent of natural rubber, for it possesses special properties making for suitability for the present use which are not possessed or suggested by natural rubber, and natural rubber cannot be substituted for the present material to produce the desired type of adhesive tape.

The present material is not the same in properties as methacrylate polymers, and is to be distinguished therefrom.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved masking tape for use in painting, as for example, in the spray-painting of automobiles 4 Claims. (Cl. 117-122) 2 with lacquers, although the invention is of course not limited thereto.

Masking tapes heretofore have largely been 01 the following three types as regards the material used to impregnate or coat the backing: (a) those having a paper backing impregnated with a unifying composition which is insoluble in oils and lacquer solvents but which is undesirably hygroscopic (exemplified by tanned glueglycerine). (1)) those having a paper backing impregnated with a rubber-resin-zinc oxide unifying composition, and (0) those having a paper cloth backing provided on the back with a layer of vulcanized rubber. Without going into details, it may be said that each of these types has disadvantages. An object of this invention is to provide not merely a novel masking tape but one which is superior in various respects.

The problem of devising a superior masking tape is a very diflicult one, owing to the large number of desired properties which should be present in combination. The usual difllculty is that in securing certain desired properties there is an accompaniment of undesirable properties following from the inherent nature of the materials used.

The present invention provides a maskin tape having a backing which not only can be produced at a reasonable cost but which includes these desirable properties in combination: The

backing is treated with a material which is nonhygroscopic and water-insoluble so that it is not affected by atmospheric conditions. The backing is not only proof against water penetration but is proof against the action or penetration of oils and many of the usual lacquer and enamel solvents. In lacquer and enamel spraying, the backing provides a barrier which prevents color bleeding, that is prevents the penetration of coloring material in colored lacquers, discoloring the underlying surface when the work is baked in an oven with the tape in place following spraying. It is not necessary to provide a backsizing, since the back surface, provided by the polyacrylate elastomer used to impregnate or coat the backing, is of a kind toward which rubber-resin pressure-sensitive adhesives do not have a special afilnity, thus permitting rolls of the tape to be readily unwound and without exerting a strong pull tending to cause splitting of the backing.

The masking tape has the desired flexibility or pliancy and lack of harshness; but at the same time has the desired "body so as not to be limp; without being rendered heavy. It has -'-acrylate elastomer forf'coating or withoutcare being needed. This paper tape is tough enough to prevent accidental breaking or tearing. and yet not so tough as to make the tearing oil of desired lengths.

The usual types of normally Itacky-:pressuresensitive adhesive coatingsmay beappliedto the backing and will adhere sufliciently flrmly so. as;

not to offset when the tape'isjunwound or re moved from surfaces'to which applied,

mmer By using creped paper impregnatedfwithjthe'? non-tacky polyacrylate elastomer as"the backing,

a masking tape can be made which has a "deadstretch" and may be readily conformed ;to irregu-' lar outlines or surfaces;

;= h i k v vn0 va f a e a qme r- 1v m simply be dissolved in a volatile solvent (such as acetone. or: ethylene dichloride) and this solution a, .used. to impre nate porous paper in making the backing, followed by! drying ;,-to eliminate ,the fsolvent, without resort to special compounding or application techniques, The polyacrylate .elastomer'readily penetrates the paper and: a solution concentration canbeused which is high necessary to i use plasticizersor compounding ingredients.

Insteadofusing a solution of thefnon-tacky polyacrylate elastomerin a, solvent, an artificial latextype of dispersion oremulsionmay be employed; While, the '-elastomer itself. can .be directly dispersed in water, the preferred pro- ;cedure is-to.- disperse? the; monomer or a low a polymer in water (using .an emulsifying agent' solution of :fidv nt t pro uc radiant ing. Ihe finished backing contains'a weight of radiation by use. of suitable lamps in the drylni tunnel.

Example A web of creped towelling paper of porous o1 bibulous nature, having a weight of 27 lbs. pel ream, and a stretch of about is passed through a saturating bath comprised of a 10% methyl acrylate elastomer. in acetone thence between squeeze rolls set to remove excess from the paper surfaces, and thence through a tunnel dryer, (temperature about 150 F.) for "solvent remov'aLInfra-red lamps may be used to heating and drytheela'st'onierabout equal to the paper weight. Ethylene dichloride is another example of a suitabl'e volatile solvent, which can be used in place I I then coated on one face with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, as by passing the backing through a knife-coater in which a solution of, the adhesive is applied,1i.'ollowed by -''dryenough toleave a weight of dr ied impregnant in the body of thepaper which equals or, exceeds the paper weight. It is :not

such-as the "mono-sodium 'saltof the'sulfonic' r acidester of lauryl alcohol) with a polymeriza tion catalyst (such I as aperoxide or I ammonium 'persulf'ate.) .and polymerize ini situto produce a milky: dispersions of the"'eupolymer resembling latex. This latter technique results" in a" stable dispersion wherein the' particlesize is smaller than can =be conveniently secured by' dispersing tha -preformed elastome'r in water and the total cost I of production is lower: I 'persion' can then be'usedto impre'g'nate'paperor I the like in "making the'backing; the water being subsequently"removed by drying, as by passing the she'et materialaround 'heated'rolls. I

1 Instead of using a preformed'non-tacky-poly-- impregnating the fabrim'the elastomer may be formed in 'situ.

' In this case the starting material asthe monomer "orfa's alow' polymeriwhich' contains 'ii'necessary suflicientthinner or solvent to give the desired viscosity and'whichmay be in'the 'forn'rof an emulsion) is used to impregnate the'pa'per, cloth 'or other backing'sheet material, followed by heatingto produce polymerization and drive oil the solvent or vehicle." A polymerization catalyst;

such as a peroxide (for example'ben'zoyl peroxide I or hydrogen peroxid)-, is'preferably incorporated in the solution-shortly 'before use'.- Infra-red en'ing -thetime required for polymerizatior'i. Ultra-violet light hastens polymerization. The

LThe aqueous dis-' lilatex crepe rubbers The rubber" t me; above formula maybejlsubstitute'd for by an isobutylene polymer elaston er (a'transparent rubbery mass). Various other tack-producing resins may be" used in place of the hydrogenated rosin. such as rosin,- estergu'm, hydrogenated ester and hydrogenatedindene e i ,I 1

a A non-tacky polyacrylate elastom'er of the character described'for use in making the backing may alsobe used as arubb'ery' base for producing a pressure-sensitive adhesive. Thus eupolymers of methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate and methylethyl acrylate may be compounded with a compatible tack-producing material: acrylate polymer which issoft and tackyias distinguished used in whole or in part as theztack-producing agent to produce apressure-sensitive adhesive wherein the non-tacky eupolymer elastomer provides a'toughiand rubbery body of. high cohesiveness and the tacky polymeraproducesa' tacky condition, theadhesive being more. cohesivethan adhesive.; The adhesive componentsrmaysbe :com-

bined by' dissolving in a mutual solvent; the 're- I suiting 'solutionc being used to'coat the backing, I followed bydrying to remove the solvent. "Or' a dispersion or'emulsion of the tack-producing-ma- \terial in water may be mixed with" anremulsion .of the polyacrylate elastomer in water, rthe=co'mbined emulsion then being used to coatthe backing and the-iwateribeing. driven" ofi' by-isubseque'nt heating. -=These pressure-sensitive adhesive coatings are transparent and provide transparent-ad- 'lamp heating can be'us'ed to advantage in 'shorthesive tapes 'whencoated upon transparent backings' (such. as regenerated cellulose or cellulose-derivative films); but a reinforcing fillerand 'opacifier, such as zinc oxide, titanium dioxide 'or}clay,' I may be included in making adhesives for masking tape and the like. 1r p The adhesive-coated web may then be slit and wound lintofrolls of desired i width "and length, This "procedure results in tape of I the character described? "A flat uncreped paper mayf be employed where a superior masking methyl and 75% As stated, the invention is not limited to maskstretchability is not needed or wanted, and this may be, for example, a kraft paper. 'Any type of paper or paper-like sheet may be used for impregnation so long as it is sufilciently porous or bibulous to permit of adequate impregnation to result in the desired unification. It maybe made in whole or in part from wood, rope or rag fibres, or from other fibrous material, natural or synthetic, adapted to the making of thin flexible sheet material of adequate porosity and adequate tensile strength after impregnation. Glass fabrics can be used, the acrylate elastomer having a strong bonding action upon glass.

Desirable types of especially thin unified paper can be made by using paper stock of a hemp fibre kind. An illustration is Flexrope," a 100% rope paper made of reclaimed rope and characterized by long fibre length, open texture, high tensile strength and great uniformity. Another example is Troya Tissue, made from new manila hemp fibres and characterized by the factthat the fibres largely run in one direction,- sothat tapes can be made having a high lengthwise tensile strength shoe tapes, sealing tapes, edging tapes, surgical tapes, etc., can be made in and advantages of the invention are exploited. Double-coated tape can be made, in which the backing (impregnated iwith the polyacrylate elastomer) is coated on both sides with pressuresensitive adhesive.

If it is desired to use a particular type of pressure-sensitive adhesive which is of a nature having an afllnity for polyacrylate elastomers such that adhesive tape having a backing impregnated or back-sized with the non-tacky polyacrylate elastomer cannot be readily unwound from rolls thereof due to the adhesive surface strongly adhering to the back surface which it contacts, and it is not desired to use a liner, this difilculty can obviously be overcome by back-sizing the tape with a coating of material toward which the adand a high crosswise tear resistance. Dextilose" is a hemp fibre paper which has substantially the same lengthwise and crosswise tensile strength and tear resistance.

The invention is not limited to true paper as the backing. Thus a fabric of carded cotton fibres can be used. Various felted fabrics can be em ployed. All of these are to be understood as embraced within the term paper as used in the claims, distinguishing from woven fabrics. However, woven fabrics can also be used.

The fibrous backing need not be entirely saturated or impregnated with the polyacrylate elastomer. For example, a paper or cloth may be coated on one side with the non-tacky acrylate elastomer and on the other side with the pressure-sensitive adhesive, the two coatings penetrating sumciently for anchorage and unification. Or the fabric may be coated on both sides with the acrylate elastomer, and then coated with the adhesive. Even in the case of paper, penetration need not necessarily extend to the centre, particularly if an adhesive of mildly tacky nature is used.

It has been mentioned that the non-tacky polyacrylate elastomer may be used alone, which is a valuable feature. However, it is not to be understood that compounding is excluded from the scope of the invention. Thus the acrylate elastomer may be loaded with fillers, such as zinc oxide, carbon black, whiting and clay, such as are used in rubber compounding. Compatible resins may be incorporated. Plasticizers, softeners and other modifying agents may be used, but ordinarily are unnecessary. Other compatible polymers may be blended, such as styrene and vinyl resins (for example, polyvinyl acetate and polyvinyl chloride). Or, instead of using mixed polymers, the acrylate may be copolymerized with another polymerizable material such as styrene, vinyl acetate or vinyl chloride, in proportions suitable for producing an elastomer.

Mixtures or blends of polyacrylate elastomers may be used (as for example, a mixture of the methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate forms); or co-polymers can the methyl and ethyl types in which each molecule contains some methyl and some ethyl groups. Thus a methyl-ethyl co-polymer containing ethyl groups is very satisfactory.

ing tapes. Thus electrical tapes, protective tapes,

be used, such as copolymers of .permit of ready hesive will have only limited adhesion so as to unwinding. This latter backsizing may be applied over a back-sizing of the non-tacky polyacrylate elastomer if that is employed.

The bonding of the pressure-sensitive adhesive coating to the backing may be increased by using an intermediate primer coating of a character which bonds firmly to the backing and to the adhesive coating. Thus the kinds ofpressuresensitive adhesive which may be employed are not limited to those which form a direct strong bond to a backing impregnated, or sized on the inner face, with a polyacrylate elastomer. Such primer may be a blend or mixture of polyacrylate elastomer and one or more of the organic components of the adhesive, so that one phase bonds strongly to the backing and another to'the adhesive coating; the primer thus linking the two together.

Having described various embodiments of my invention for purposes of illustration, but without intent to 'be limited thereto, what I claim is as follows:

1. A pressure-sensitive adhesive tape comprising a flexible fibrous backing impregnated and unified by a non-tacky polyacrylate elastomer of the class consisting of methyl acrylate polymers, ethyl acrylate polymers and co-polymers of methyl and ethyl acrylates, and a normally tacky and pressure-sensitive non-offsetting adhesive coating firmly united to the backing.

2. A pressure-sensitive adhesive tape wound in roll form and comprising a bibulous paper backing impregnated and unified by a non-tacky polyacrylate elastomer of the class consisting of methyl acrylate polymers, ethyl acrylate polymers and co-polymers of methyl and ethyl acrylates, and a normally tacky and pressure-sensitive non-offsetting adhesive coating firmly united to one side of the backing, said backing being resistant to splitting or delamination when the adhesive tape is unwound from a roll or removed from surfaces to which temporarily applied.

3. A masking tape wound in roll form and comprising a stretchable porous paper backing impregnated and unified by a non-tacky polyacrylate elastomer of the class consisting of methyl acrylate polymers, ethyl acrylate polymers and co-polymers of methyl and ethyl acrylates, and a normaly tacky and pressuresensitive non-offsetting adhesive coating firmly united to one side of the backing, said tapehaving a dead-stretch characteristic and being readily conformed to irregular or curved outlines and surfaces, and the impregnated backing serving as a barrier to penetration of water and oils.

which various features 7 8 4. A masking tape according to claim 3 wherein W ms m the polyacrylate elastomer is a co-polymer of STA PA a methyl and ethyl acrylates. Numbet me Date HUBERT J. TIERNEY Re. 19,128 Drew Apr. 3, 1934 REFERENCES crmn 5 Nah f; 2m z fi l 28 The following references are of record in the c e and me or this patent: 4 N0. 3, March 1936, pp. 267-271. 

